Sewing machine installation



Aug. 18, 1936. H. WILLIS SEWING MACHINE INSTALLATION Filed May 51, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 18, 1936 H. L. WILLIS 2,051,666

SEWING MACHINE INSTALLATION F ileci May 51, 19 33 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 18,1936

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE! The invention relates to new and useful improvements in a sewing machine installation, and more particularly to the means for supporting the sewing machine and the material stitched thereby. v

An object of the invention is to provide a supporting table structure for sewing machines adapted to perform successive stitching operations on fabric sections whereby a fabric section as it is stitched by one of said machines is delivered into a storage receptacle and thus rendered accessible to an operator stitching said sections on the other of said machines.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a plan view showing a section of 'a supporting table with sewing machines mounted thereon which are adapted to perform successive stitching operations on fabric sections, and

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

It is often desirable to follow the stitching operation on the fabric section with: another stitching operation of a slightly diiferent character. When these stitching operationsrequire about the same length of time, it is also desirable to feed the fabric sections stitched on one machine into a receptacle which is readily accessible to the operator for the other machine. For example, in the attaching of the sleeves to a shirt body, the sleeves are joined to the shi'rtbody on one machine and then the sleeves and the sideseams are closed on a felling machine. These two operations take about the same length of time. The present illustrated embodiment of the invention shows two machines, one of which is adapted to stitch the sleeves to the body portion of the garment, and the other is adapted to close the sleeves and body portion of the shirt v by felling. The first-named machine is mounted on a table carried by a supporting frame structure. The table is' located atone side of this frame structure. Alsomounted on the frame structure. at the rear. sidejof this table is a receptacle adapted to receive the body garment and sleeves after they have been stitched together. At the other side of the supportingframe is a table section forsupporting a feed-off-the-arm felling machine. This table'section is so con-] structed and the machine so disposed that the operator sitting in a'normal position for feeding the sleeves and shirt body along the work arm for felling, can reach the receptacle and take a stitched garment therefrom and direct it through the felling machine.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the

present illustrated embodiment of the invention includes'a-supporting frame structure, at one side of which is mounted a table section I. The

frame structure consists of cross frame units, each of which includes supporting legs 2 and-'3 connected by a cross beam 4 at the top and by,

a cross beam 5 at a short distance from the-lower end of the legs. These parts are bolted together making a very rigid structure, and the table I is bolted to these cross frame units. Mounted in the cross beams 5 are suitable bearing brackets in which the main actuating shaft'is located. This table'l only extends part way from the upper edge of the cross frame toward the center thereof. Attached to the table and cross frames is a sheet metal receptacle 8. This. receptacle, 8 is provided with a rear wall 9 which extends up to the under side'of' the table I, andthe table is preferably recessed along itsrear edge so as to overlie this wall 9. The vertical wall 9 extends into a .curved bottom wall II) which terminates in a rolled-bead II. Thisrolled bead II is disposed at a considerable distance beneath the upper edge of the receptacle. There areend wall members in the receptacle which jare shaped to conform to the cross section of the receptacle and .support the bottom wall.

bead. II not only to strengthen the bottom plate of the receptacle, but also to, provide a 'rounded portion to prevent the operator from The purpose of the injuring I the hand when reaching into .thereceptacle.

Mounted on-the table I is a sewing machine.

consisting of a work supporting member I2 over which is a needle'head I3, and in this needle, headis aneedle bar I I carrying needles, one of which is indicated at I5. Beneath the work support is a feeding mechanism, the feed dog of which is indicated at I6. This feed dog operates to feed the material straight across the work support, I,- delivering the material off from the rear edge thereof on to the table and off from In the form shown, the machine is adapted for producing a felled seam. The guide lid is used for interfolding and directing the fabric sections to the stitching mechanism, and a two-needle stitching mechanism is used for joining theinterfolded fabric sections. I

This sewing machine is driven by a belt wheel I! operated by a belt running over a belt wheel the table into the receptacle 8. "The stitching mechanism may .be of any desired charactenp 1 in a transmitter I8, and the transmitter is drivenby abelt I9 from a belt wheel 20 on the main actuating shaft I. The transmitteris controlled operator sits at the right of the table I as viewed in Fig. 2, facing the machine. First one sleeve and the shirt body is passed through the machine and the sleeve stitched to the shirt body. The front and back of the shirt is previously joined to the yoke at the shoulder seams. After one sleeve has been attached to the shirt body, then the other sleeve is attached thereto, and the shirt body with the two sleeves attached is fed into the receptacle 8 at the rear of the table section i.

machine 25 is mounted. This lateral extension is shaped to conform to the supporting base of the sewing machine, and the standard 24 is arranged so that it is directly beneath the base of the sewing machine. The sewing machine shown is a feed-oif-the-arm felling machine. Said machine includes a supporting bracket 26 on which the sewing machine proper is supported. Said sewing machine includes an upper horizontal member 21 having a depending portion 28 at the lower end of which is a work supporting arm 29. At the opposite end of the horizontal member 27 is a laterally projecting arm 30 carrying a needle head 3| in which the needle bar 32 reciprocates, and said needle bar carries two needles which are indicated at 33. Mounted in the needle head is a presser bar carrying a presser foot 34, and in front of the presser foot is a felling guide 33a. The machine illustrated is of the type shown in the Christensen and Le Vesconte Patent #1341,- 095, granted December 24, 1929. The operator sits adjacent the suspended end of the work supporting arm as indicated at C, and the feed is off from theend of the arm so that the operator may place the fabric sections to be stitched about the arm and direct the same through the feller to the stitching mechanism.

The stitching mechanism and the feeding mechanism of the sewing machine is all operated from an actuating shaft in the upper horizontal member 21 and the shaft is driven by a belt wheel 36 which in turn is operated by a belt 31 running over a pulley in the transmitter 38, and the transmitter is driven by a belt 39 cooperating with a belt wheel on the main actuating shaft 1. The transmitter is controlled by a foot treadle 40 and the presser foot is controlled by a foot treadle 4|. 7

In the operation of the present illustrated ins'tallation, first one sleeve is joined to thebody portion of the garmentby the sewing machine at the right, as viewed in Figures 1 and 2, and then the. other, and the joined sleeves and body portion of the shirt drop into the receptacle 8. The operator for the sewing machine at the left reaches into the receptacle, taking one garment at .a time, anddirecting the same around the work support 29 to the stitching mechanism, whereby the sleeve seam and the body seamare felledat oneside of the shirt body and then the sleeve andthe body seam are'passed through the machine and felled at the other side of the shirt body. If, for any reason, the operator of the felling machine is delayed in thepassing of the fabric sections to the machine, they will accumulate in the receptacle 8. The operator can readily reach the receptacle into which the articles are discharged by the feed of the machine at the right in the drawings. In this way, there is substantially a continuous flow of the fabric sections, first through the machine which Joins the sleeves to the body portion, and thence through the machine wherein the sleeve and body seams are formed.

The invention is, of course, not limited to the present illustrated embodiment of the specific types of machines described. It may be used in connection with sewing machines of any character wherein the articles being stitched are passed through first one machine and then another in succession for stitching operations. The essential feature of the invention is in the arrangement of the stitching machines so that the articles passing from one machine will be fed into a storage receptacle and may be taken from the storagereceptacle which is made readily accessible to the operator of the other machine for feedingsaid machine.

It is obvious that changes may be made in the arrangement of the parts and the details of construction without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is'- I 1. In a, sewing machine installation, the combination of spaced cross frame members, a main actuating shaft carried thereby, a supporting table arranged at one side of said cross frame members on which a sewing machine is adapted to be mounted and positioned to feed sewed articles toward the inner side of the table, means for actuating said sewing machine from said shaft, a work receptacle carried by said table and cross frame members and adapted to receive and store the stitched articles fed from the sewing machine, said receptacle being disposed wholly beneath the plane of the work supporting table and extending from a position adjacent the rear underface of the table downwardly and thence rearwardly and thence upwardly and terminating at a point well beneath the table to facilitate the removal of the articles therefrom, a supporting member carried by said cross frame and projecting outwardly beyond said work receptacle on which a, second sewing machine is adapted to be supported, and means for operating said second machine from said actuating shaft, said second machine being positioned on said supporting member so as to feed the articles, sewed thereby substantially at right angles to the feed of the material to and from the first machine whereby an operator may be positioned close to the work receptacle for removing the stored articles one at a time therefrom and feeding thesame to said second machine.

2. In a sewing machine installation, the combination of spaced cross frames, a supporting table'arranged at one side of saidcrcss frames on which a sewing machine is adaptedtoi be mounted and positionedto feed sewed articles toward the inner side of ,the table, auwork receptacle carried by said crossframe. members and disposed at the inner side of said table and adapted to receive the stitched articles fed fromsaid sewing machine, said receptacle being formed of sheet metal and including a rear wall extending upwardly to the lower side ofthe tablefa curved,

bottomwall extending upwardly at thtfront of the receptacle and terminating in 'an'jedgje located in'a plane well below the planeo'f the table,

said edge being rolled into a hollow bead, and 75 inner side of said table and adapted to receive the stitched articles fed from said sewing machine,

said receptacle being formed of sheet metal and including a rear wall extending upwardly to the lower side of the table, a curved bottom wall extending upwardly at the front of the receptacle and terminating in an edge located in a plane well below the plane of the table, said edge being rolled into a hollow head, end walls attached to and supporting said bottom wall. and a supporting table at the opposite side of said frame and the front side of said receptacle adapted to support a sewing machine disposed thereon so that the operator operating the machine may readily reach into the receptacle for removing the stitched articles therefrom for feeding the same to the second machine.

4. In a sewing machine installation, the comhination of spaced cross-frames, a supporting table arranged at one side of said cross-frames on which a sewing machine is adapted to be mounted and positioned to feed sewed articles toward the inner side of the table, a work receptacle carried by said cross-frame members and disposed at the inner side of said table and adapted to receive the stitched articles fed from said sewing machine, said receptacle including a rear wall extending upwardly to the lower side of the table. a bottom wall extending laterally and thence upwardly at the front of the receptacle and terminating in an 5 edge located in a plane well below the plane of the table, and end walls attached to and supporting said bottom wall.

5. In a sewing machine installation. the combination of spaced cross-frames, a supporting table arranged at one side of said cross-frames on whicha sewing machine is adapted to be mounted and positioned to feed sewed articles toward the inner side of the table. a work receptacle carried by said cross-frame members and disposed at the inner side of said table and adapted to receive the stitched articles fed from said sewing machine, said receptacle including a rear wall extending upwardly to the lower side of the table, a bottom wall extending laterally and thence upwardly at the front of the receptacle and terminating in an edge located in a plane well belowthe plane of the table, end walls attached to and supporting said bottom wall, and a second supporting table at the opposite side of said frame and at the front side of said receptacle adapted to support a second sewing machine disposed thereon so that the operator operating 

